Sights, sounds of a vibrant neighborhood

June 11, 2004

Don't miss these signature spots in Lincoln Square:

Welles Park

For adults, Welles Park on the west side of Lincoln Avenue offers amenities beyond the swings and slides--though they're still fun. In the field house, there's a popular indoor pool (recently shut down for several weeks of renovations).

Outside, there's no shortage of space or activities, from standard sports such as softball to the rarely seen horseshoe courts that occupy their own special enclosure along Montrose, to the gazebo in the middle of the park where free concerts pop up.

On the lawns at the eastern edge of Welles, some warm-weather evenings bring Eastern European immigrants--one of the neighborhood's most prominent new demographics--playing bocce ball.

After sunset, when all the Little League games are done, dog owners gather to let their hounds frolic.

Conrad Sulzer Regional Library

Across the street from Welles Park is the massive Conrad Sulzer Regional Library, 4455 N. Lincoln Ave., the biggest branch library on the North Side.

Named after a Swiss immigrant--"the area's first European settler," according to an old city guidebook--the 65,000-square-foot facility was dedicated in September 1985.

Sulzer has attempted to keep up with the needs of the times by adding computers, offering free Internet access and amassing a large CD and video collection.

Sulzer also has purely aesthetic comforts on its expansive second floor, where giant windows provide a great vista of the park and a nifty vantage point for sunsets.

Old Town School of Folk Music

At 4454 N. Lincoln Ave., the Art Deco lettering on the front still reads "The Chicago Public Library." This beautiful old building remained empty for a decade, until the city struck a deal with the institution whose arrival would symbolize the new life in Lincoln Square: the Old Town School of Folk Music.

Happily, the conversion plans of the Old Town School retained many of the building's historical features.

The hall seats 425 people but remains a cozy, feel-good venue.

"Musicians love it," says Bob Medich, an 11-year employee of the school. "They like the intimacy with people all around you and very close to you."

The hall, the heart of the school, gets used all the time. Guitar students gather there for "second half," when all the classes come together to play en masse. Anyone is free to wander in and enjoy these casual jam sessions.

"That's a big part of the school," Medich says. "It is the school. We're a musical community."

After Old Town opened its doors in September 1998, the slowly brewing changes began to really percolate. As in many neighborhoods, one telltale sign of gentrification occurred when Starbucks occupied new buildings on the southeast corner of Lincoln and Wilson Avenues. The space used to house a laundry.

"Gentrification was bound to happen; it was just a question of timing," says Gerard Rohr, owner of Fine Wine Brokers Inc., 4621 N. Lincoln, as he sips a cup of Starbucks. Old Town School's arrival "was not the source of the change, but ... it really galvanized the process."

Still, the key to Lincoln Square retaining its unique character "is not too much of this," he adds, brandishing his paper cup, referring to big corporate chains that can drain individuality out of a neighborhood.

REASON TO GO: The Lincoln Square Farmer's Market sets up shop every Tuesday morning during the summer at the city parking lot at Leland and Lincoln Avenues, right by the Western Brown Line stop. Call 312-744-9493.